Arnold burglar faces six years

An Arnold man accused of involvement in a rash of summer burglaries in the Pinebrook subdivision was sentenced Monday on a first-degree burglary conviction.

Eric Scott Schroeder, 24, received a jail sentence that credited him for completing 109 days served since his Aug. 2 arrest at his home. He will remain on formal probation for three years and could face six years in state prison if he violates the terms of the sentence.

A search warrant served at Schroeder’s home on the day of his arrest stemmed from a Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office investigation regarding a half-dozen burglaries in and around the subdivision in July. The search turned up stolen items including alcoholic beverages, firearms and tools, police said.

Schroeder is “a gullible person,” defense attorney Steven Rechter, of Jackson, told Judge John Martin in the Calaveras County Superior Court. “He’s a kind person, easily manipulated … he lets people who he shouldn’t be associated with into his home.”

Schroeder said during the hearing that he was working in Arnold at the time of the crimes. “I had nothing to do with these crimes.”

He added that he is ready to submit to all terms of his probation without issue.

“I just want to get out and go back to work … I want to be the best that I can but I can’t do it from in (jail).”

He added that he has a job as a manager at the Taco Bell in Valley Springs and is ready to return there upon his release.

Court proceedings revealed that Schroeder has a prior conviction for second-degree burglary.

As part of his sentence, Schroeder was ordered to pay $2,101.44 to the victims of one of the burglaries and an amount to be determined in the other cases.

Martin noted the Probation Department sentencing report determined Schroeder to be at a high risk to re-offend and has a history of domestic violence. He said he therefore could not agree to recommend a mid-range prison sentence if a probation violation occurs but instead the aggravated sentence of six years.